Unlock Date
Unlock Date helps you protect Locked periods in System Prefs from Unlock Periods.
Unlock Periods is a Special Access setting for an Employee to change locked periods. By setting an Unlock Date you limit changes to on or after the Unlock Date you set.
SQL Server
Built-in SQL Server is not needed or used. SQL is used internally, but for serving data, such as Shipping, an external database is used so that only select data is made available.
Shipping uses MySQL to share data, such as Addresses and Tracking for orders, only. MySQL has drivers for any systems, including 32-bit, making it ideal for connectivity.
Leave SQL Server in the BigBusiness Server turned off and install MySQL or Postgres. Contact support@bigbusiness.com if you need help with installation or configuration.
Custom Forms, Item Adjustments, Optional Fields
Custom Forms for Item Adjustments let you add optional fields on printouts to test.
In addtion to Item Fields, various fields have been added for Status, Warehouse, and other selectors which may or may not produce useful results but are included to try.
Go to Reporting toolbar, Forms, Add New, and select any Item Adjustment template. Double-click a field and choose Item, Vendor Part #. Close the form to name and Save.
Your new form will appear in Print Options when you click Print in Item Adjustment.
Inactive Checkbox
The Inactive Checkbox lets you mark records Inactive.
Clicking the checkbox for a Customer removes their name from the Listing--used to choose customers on transactions--and Customers Search, which also filters Reports.
Add(+) the Inactive column to Customers Search to see them again. Or, use Inactive on the Find dialog. Click the checkbox in Customers Search, if you have permissions.
Disable Inactive
Disable Inactive lets you turn off automatic settings in Big Business for Inactive items.
Select Only
Select is the Remember Server setting that lets your Client instantly select your Server.
This skips the default Search & Select that searches your local network for 10 seconds. Instead, your Big Business Client immediately selects the Server that it used last time.
Add/Modify Groups
Groups are a popular customization option to help manage any lists that grow too big.
Sales Tax Groups were added for a Flag Works company that had nexus in NY and FL. Grouping by State separated Albany, NY and Albany, FL into submenus--super-easy.
Customer Type Groups can simplify reporting by sub-types. Customer Groups help combine chain stores with corporate credit limits. Adding a group for your list is easy.
Excel Controls
Excel Controls lets you order custom reports which go automatically, straight to Excel.
Any report or export can be sent to Excel by saving and then opening the file in Excel. Excel Controls let you preset to automate this process for your set, Excel-only report.
Using this option requires an Open version and an exact specification for your report. Presets and coding combine to produce an Excel-ready file in .XLS or .XLSX format.
Business Intelligence
A 20-year-user of Big Business was acquired by a 500-year-old German conglomerate.
New requirements needed BigBusiness and Microsoft Power BI to report data to SAP. ETA's for PO's and Orders were needed for all deliveries to determine On Time results.
This prompted many changes in BigBusiness to track OC Dates for original ETA date. Line Numbers were customized to link rows shipped to rows ordered in exported data.
Order Sorting
Order Sorting lets you put Line Items on Orders in sequence by Sorting or Inserting.
Order Sorting requires Line Prefs set to Numbered or PO Lines to show line numbers. Numbered uses automatic numbering. PO Lines keeps line numbers from original PO.
Line Prefs are set in Company card, Company Prefs, for the System Setting, and in My Prefs, User Settings, to use or override the System Setting with your own prefs.
Contacts Ship Address 3
Ship Address 3, also called Department in UPS or FedEx, is available on Contact cards.
Contacts Search lets you Add (+) it as a Column, and it is included Export, All Fields. Contact and Update Contact imports also include Ship Address 3/Department to help.
When you enable Load Addresses, Ship To, in the Customer Prefs in order to connect UPS Worldship or FedEx Ship Manager, Ship Address 3 helps deliver your shipment.
Contacts Role Name
Role Name helps you track who to send Refunds or Email Statements, for automation.
Role is used in custom automations such as using the Refund tool for large check runs. With this set up and Refundee checked, the Contact address is used for refund checks.
This feature can be extended for new automations needing contact information, preset.
Add Users
Add Users lets you add licenses to allow more people connect to Big Business Server.
Users are the number of Big Business Clients you can connect at one time. This can be as few as two or as many as 100, and is less than the number of people who might use.
It's like the number of seats at your conference table. Anyone can have Big Business Client on their computer, but only the number of Users can connect at the same time.
Any API
Any API lets you connect to a service you use that has a public API, to share its data.
A public API, or Open API, means the service can be accessed by customers' systems. BigBusiness includes a raft of tools to authenticate, connect, read, and write your data.
This is a starting point for a simple lookup, getting new data, or posting coded results. BigBusiness also has process-oriented connections like credit card, ecommerce, or tax.
Auto-Invoice Controls
Auto-Invoice Controls let you set presets to automatically convert orders to invoices.
CRM Controls
CRM Controls help you set automated actions in BigBusiness to help connect CRM.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is usually software as a service to enable always-on features for monitoring web site visits, receiving requests, or tracking email.
To coordinate with BigBusiness, you want Contacts from CRM available to help create a Quote or Order for a web visitor and have them identified in both systems.
Numbers for Mac
Numbers is Apple's spreadsheet application for macOS computers that is preinstalled.
Use Numbers to edit Export or Import files for Big Business to get more done, faster. Exports from Big Business are saved as Tab-text files that can be dragged to Numbers.
From Numbers' File menu, you can Export To, CSV or TSV to import to Big Business. You do not need table names or advanced options; just click Save and a choose a place.
Postgres Settings
Postgres Settings let you enter credentials for your Postgres database for Live Archive.
Postgres Registration
Postgres Connect is in development and requires Big Business Open or Built Editions.
To test or use Postgres Connect, you will receive an email with Registration you enter by going to Company card, Upgrade, Postgres, and entering the code in pictured dialog.
For the Demo File included with Big Business the Registration code is 289.
Postgres.app Install
Postgres.app, from postgresapp.com, is a free and open source Postgres for your Mac.
To install visit postgresapp.com and download a DMG which opens as shown. Drag the App to Applications as indicated. Go to Applications and double-click to launch.
Chapter 143 Live Archive
Live Archive is in development to provide options for storing very large attached files and very large numbers of attachments or secondary records in a second, live database.
In practice, Big Business does not require closing of periods, cleanup of data, archiving, or other attempts at optimization, in part because new computers are so fast and easy.
Adding Live Archiving will add many options for saving original files and compressed, keeping histories of documents added as Docs like PDFs, Emails, JSON, and so forth.
Postgres Connections
Postgres Settings are found in System toolbar, Company card, on Connect Settings tab.
Click the Postgres button to show Postgres Connections and choose one or click New.